Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Thoughts on Today's Run

     Do you ever wonder, what does one think about when they run for 2 hours?  Sometimes nothing, on the conscious level, sometimes a lot.  Well I went out to turn the wheels over after work and thought, "I should make a mental note of what I see and what thoughts it conjures up."  Here are my thoughts from today's run.
     Ah shit, I put my shoes in the washer and didn't take them out to dry.  I wonder if 5 min in the dryer will work, while the Garmin picks up satellites and I get my water bottles ready?  I should probably put on socks, got a little chafing on my heel.  Hey dog, take your ass outside, as I open the door.  Fuck it's hot as I lock the door and put the Garmin on my wrist.  After holding the reset button for 3 seconds.  My feet are wet already because the shoes weren't dry.  Leaving the neighborhood, I throw a wave to one of the neighbors driving by.  Looking at the Garmin, 8min pace.  Not bad.  Moving good.  .8 miles in, sweating like a slave, shorts soaked.  WTF!  It's hot.  Sub 8 pace.  Trying to cross the access road on I-35, will this MF'er stop, does he see me here?  I get over to the intersection on the southbound side, across the street from the OLPH (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) Catholic Church.  I wave at everyone in the intersection, 3 way stop. They all see me, I cross.  1.5 miles in, I smell the chicken wings from Hooters across the freeway.  Good times, back in the day.  Drank a lot of beer there.  Grass is green, must be because of the rain.  Cars are backing up.  Lots of break lights.  Assholes hauling ass on the access road, trying to beat the jam.
    I see a billboard for Cracker Barrel, seven miles up the road it says.  Brings me back to 1998, and the little waitress I met in Boise.  That December week was filled with great sex and empty promises.  Chuys is on my right, got drunk in there lots of times.  Damned Mexicans and the margaritas.  Cresting the "hill" passing the Chucky Cheese.  Remembered a lady friend of mine and the times we took her boys over there.  Never did get to ride the helicopter.  She was a keeper, and good in bed as well.  Starbucks on the left, in the shopping center.  My daily ritual. Had it twice today.   Past that, Specs liquor store. Many days after work last year, stopped in there for a bottle of wine and a sixer or twelver of some beer.  Lots of wasted days. 
    Now Houlihan's.  Some folks having their drinks/food al fresco. I wave at them.  They don't wave back.   Pearl Jam's Yellow Ledbetter song is playing in my head.  The parts I can remember.  "Ah yeah, can you see them out on the porch? Yeah, but they don't wave."   Running downhill now, RBFCU (Randolf Brooks Federal Credit Union) on my left as I take the access road up Loop 1604.  I went to school with some folks that work there I think.  But, I'm not close with them.  Whatever.  A Garden Ridge Pottery on my right.  They are down sizing from the big ass building just a few miles up the road.  Went there a few times with my mom as a kid.  Got lost. 
     Nearing the intersection of Lookout road.  To the left, I could turn and head over to Comanche Park, or to the right I could go past the horse track.  I turned right.  Maybe was worried about the Mexican food I had for lunch.  The stables are on my right.  I can smell horse shit and hay.  Brings me back to when I used to rope cows and get the shit kicked out of me for not cleaning the stalls right. The stables are pretty good size.  I thought of the concentration camp buildings at Dachau, they were smaller than the stable buildings.  The guard was in his shack.  I wave at him, he waves back.  He probably thinks, "WTF is this dude running for in this heat?"  Now I see the straightaway on the track, the home stretch.  I remembered all the Black Stallion books I read in the 3rd grade.  I always wanted to be Alec and ride a majestic steed along the beach.  On the left, the old Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.  Now it's a church and soccer fields.  I never played soccer or went to any concerts, so no feeling was invoked.  The house coming up on my right has an asshole border collie who likes to snap and bite.  I cross the road.  Running by the shitty car wash place, I run down the hill on the narrow ass two lane road with no shoulders.  Some car drivers slow, some don't. I yell obscenities at everyone.  An open pasture on my left at the intersection of Lookout and Evans road, there are a shit load of goats and some donkeys.  The Montana sheep joke comes to mind.
     Crossing Cibolo Creek.  I used to run in this creek a bunch, but now mostly road so I don't bang up my feet too much.  I should swing  by the crossfit gym and say hi to Coach Brenda.  Yea, sounds good.  Mile 6.5 now.  I'd given up any goal pace.  I'm moving slow.  Hey fuck it.  I'm out here running. What more can I want. I don't have to look a gift horse in the mouth.  On my left are two little shacks that in at least one, some folks live and the other I think they use if for storing feed.  They got like 5 acres, and 9 horses.  I bet they are broke as fuck feeding all those horses.  Bluebonnet Driving Range on my right.  My dad got into golf before he died. I still have the clubs he gave me.  I tried it back in the 7th grade.   He was 41 when he died.  I wonder if I will be as well?  My cousin last year was here, showed me some pointers.  In 20 minutes, I was hitting balls downrange pretty damm accurately. 
     I guess I'll run out to FM 3009 before I head south.  Check out the new building they are building to office us.  I can see the tower from our current building. 200ft.  11 years now.  Heading south on 3009 I see the new Chick - fil - a they put in across the street from Cain's Chicken. Wonder who will last?  I see the Wing Stop, no memories.  Never been.  I see a fucker running on the other side of this busy ass road.  I can catch that fucker.  I check out his form, no way he can out run me.  I cross over I-35 and pick up the pace.  I turn right at the road with the car wash on the corner.  It's been under new management like 3 or 4 times in the last 11 years.  See some kids washing cars. Wonder how long their job will last?  How much do they pay?  A cop cruises by in his Tahoe. Dickhead.  Then flips back around to wait at the top of the hill where you can't see him.  Extorting money.  I wave at this asshole, and I'm low on water.  Cruising past the houses are some empty lots.  Some tree hugger put out water and food for the deer.  They are eating. I say hi deer, deer, deer.  These typically timid basterds don't even budge. 
     I'm out of water. I sure hope Valerie is working at the shell station. I get there. She's behind the counter. I throw out a "hey what's up" as I make my way to the ice dispenser  Grab some ice and fill my water bottle with soda, the other with water. I don't pay for shit. I've got no shirt on and look sexy.   Crossing back over I-35 I make it down to the Crossfit Gym. 11 miles by God.  I shoot the shit with Brenda while the Oly class is going on.  Bout 10 minutes.  I'm sure the students are like, who the fuck is this asshole sweating all over the place.  I bid her adieu.  2 miles to go.  Nothing eventful, just hot as fuck.  Crossing Cibolo Creek again, I look down and see two deer frolicking.  Good for you deer.  I'm gonna get me a beer.
     See the basketball court. Lots of dudes playing ball.  Wonder if they think their mommas gonna come clean up all the water bottles they leave laying around? A baked potato and some wine with veggies would be nice.  Outback it is.  Let's get this shit done.  10 min on foam roller while I check Facebook statuses.  Hell yea.
    

1 comment:

Sol Runner said...

First and only question...how in the hell did you remember all that?